Jay Gatsby: Martyr of the American Dream
by Awena-Sachi
Summary: Gatsby is considered a quintessical character in American literature, causing thousands around the world to become enraptured by his demeanor and charms. This essay explores his character, background, real-life influences, and discusses why Gatsby is considered "great."


Jay Gatsby is an engaging, multilayered character that has captivated many readers around the world, and has been regarded as a classic character in American literature; critics have debated upon his attitude, his actions, and what makes him "great." His gentlemanly demeanor and tortured heart have entranced and allured many, not to mention the sympathy garnered from his unrequited love. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway, readers catch glimpses of this gentle, yet elusive man. He is a complex character, who has bemused and intrigued his party guests, just as much as his readers and critics. Many people have wondered why he has been regarded as "great" despite his seemingly glaring flaws and misconceptions. Nevertheless, as Nick states, "Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams…" (Fitzgerald 2).

Gatsby, as enchanting as he sounds, does not have an established background equal to that of Tom Buchanan. Gatsby was a poor man from North Dakota, the son of "shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (Fitzgerald 98). He had absolutely no money to his name, and barely made a living later on as a young adult, while working as a clam-digger and salmon-fisher. Gatsby was so impoverished, that he had to do janitorial work in order to pay for his college tuition. However, even as a young boy, he constantly had ambitions to do something with himself and to strive for something better. He was very orderly and disciplined; this is shown especially when Gatsby's father shows Nick the schedule Gatsby made on the back of a book cover, detailing his day-to-day activities of self-improvement. Also, Dan Cody, a wealthy millionaire, influenced him greatly in his path to becoming wealthy and "great." Gatsby met Cody by Lake Superior, and he warned Cody of a vicious storm that would break apart his yacht. It was at this moment that he changed his name from 'James Gatz' to 'Jay Gatsby,' thus beginning his metamorphosis to become a "Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 98). After acquainting himself with Cody, Cody went ahead to provide Gatsby new clothing, and made him an apprentice of sorts. Together, the two sailed through the West Indies and the Barbary Coast. This stage was important for Gatsby, because it was an introduction into the world of the wealthy. He became enamored with the bright, glittery, and alluring things that consisted of the rich, which further enhanced his aspiration of becoming successful. However, this goal was accented even more so when Cody died mysteriously, and when his mistress stole Gatsby's inheritance of twenty-five thousand dollars. Despite these setbacks, Gatsby was even more determined to become rich and successful, as Dan Cody had been.

Gatsby eventually moved to New York, established his wealth, bought a mansion at West Egg, and became known for throwing extravagant parties. He is described as being "ridiculously rich, so rich that he possesses an almost magical power to conjure up whole worlds of enchantment" (Ousby 219). Even his nickname, "The Great Gatsby," seems to suggest a "circus showman rather than an aristocrat" (Ousby 219). The overwhelming majority of his guests know little to nothing about him. Many rumors circulated amongst them, as to where he came from, and how he acquired his wealth. Some people believe that he killed a man to gain his wealth, while others speculate that he was German spy. The reason as to why these rumors are created is because they felt the need to fulfill the uncertainty about him as a whole. Nobody knows about him for certain, which only adds an aura of romantic mystery around him. Even stranger, though, is the fact that Gatsby is rarely seen at his parties, choosing to either lay low or stay behind the scenes. The confusion behind his true background is further accented when Gatsby takes Nick to New York, and tells him a "cheap magazine version of his life" (Mizener 175), of how he "lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of the world…collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting big game, painting a little…" (Fitzgerald 65). However, these rumors are not the most sinister thing behind Gatsby's façade. In Chapter Four, Nick meets Wolfsheim, who is a colleague of Gatsby, and morbidly wears cuffs made out of human molars. Gatsby tells Nick that Wolfsheim "fixed" the 1919 World Series and that he is a gambler; however, readers can surmise that Wolfsheim is also a bootlegger, and that Gatsby himself participates in bootlegging. This is plausible, because Gatsby repeatedly receives calls and wires from cities like Chicago and Detroit, which were cities that heavily participated in bootlegging and organized crime. Not only does Gatsby allow others to paint a romanticized image of him, but it is implied that he delved into organized crime in order to obtain his wealth.

Despite the fact that Gatsby is a classic character, he is in many ways very similar to his creator, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald did not have an esteemed background; he came from a modest family in St. Paul, Minnesota. He too wanted something better in life, believing that he could be rich and successful one day. Fitzgerald's father lost his job, and was never able to regain employment, and was in a way a sense of shame to Fitzgerald. Upon witnessing the failure of his father, Fitzgerald vowed to never fail like he did. Gatsby's parents were also failures, barely making a living on a run-down farm. When he went to Princeton, he was ostracized in a way, because many of the students who went there came from rich families – the same goes for Gatsby, who was also quite poor while struggling to pay for his studies. It was also at Princeton when Fitzgerald met Ginevra King, a young wealthy socialite from Lake Forest. Ginevra was, like Daisy is to Gatsby, "the extraordinary 'nice' girl, the beautiful, magnetic girl who was always effortlessly at ease" (Mizener 49). She was the ideal "golden girl" for Fitzgerald, and he fell head over heels for her. However, like how Daisy initially left Gatsby, Ginevra left Fitzgerald because of his poor standings. The same thing happened years later while Fitzgerald was serving in the army during WWI, when the wealthy Southern belle Zelda Sayre left him for the same reason. However, unlike Gatsby, whose wealth failed to win back the girl of his dreams, Fitzgerald won back Zelda with the profitable publication of This Side of Paradise.

Jay Gatsby is, without a doubt, a hopeless romantic. His unrequited love for Daisy has left him tortured and heartbroken. He found her "excitingly desirable… that many men had already loved Daisy – it increased her value in his eyes" (Fitzgerald 149). When he was falling in love with Daisy while being stationed in Louisville, Gatsby "let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself – that he was fully able to take care of her" (Fitzgerald 149). However, he was obviously penniless, did not come from a wealthy family, and had little to no means of being able to support Daisy, much less himself. Despite this, Gatsby pursued his dream, believing that one day, Daisy would come back to him; so he began to gain his wealth through organized crime, all the while, following the news about Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan. He moved to the West Egg, where he threw wild parties, hoping that she would wander in one day, and they would elope once again. He does meet her again, with the help of Nick, but upon seeing her, he acts like a nervous schoolboy, not like a wealthy aristocrat. He almost knocks over a broken clock belonging to Nick, and nervously puts it back in place. This clock is very symbolic because it illustrates how Gatsby has not moved on from his time with Daisy in Louisville; he wholeheartedly believes that he can repeat the past, and make everything the way he wanted it to be, before he went to war. He even went as far as to save all the letters Daisy sent him while they corresponded during the war. Gatsby's love for Daisy is the main reason as to why he bought an expensive mansion at West Egg and became so wealthy. For him, she has become "the promise of fulfillment that lies beyond the green light that burns all night on her dock" (Bewley 40). The green light at the end of Daisy's dock has come to represent so much for Gatsby, "it embodies the profound naïveté of Gatsby's sense of the future, while simultaneously suggesting the historicity of his hope" (Bewley 42). It represents his own American dream, a dream that will ultimately prove to be dead.

Gatsby, in his attempts to win back Daisy through his wealth, ultimately fails. Tom and Gatsby have a major confrontation in Chapter Seven, where Tom correctly accuses him of being a bootlegger, and for causing a "row" in his house. While this confrontation goes on, Daisy finds herself growing closer to Tom, realizing that she really was on his side. Tom eventually shames Gatsby in front of Daisy, Nick, and Jordan, and ends up sending him home with Daisy, saying that his "presumptuous little flirtation is over" (Fitzgerald 135). Later that evening, while Daisy and Tom were becoming selfishly intimate after the events of the day, Gatsby stays watch outside their mansion, keeping vigil over Daisy, and hoping that Tom does not bother her. However, as Nick remarks, Gatsby was "standing there in the moonlight – watching over nothing" (Fitzgerald 145); it is clear that Daisy no longer cares for him, and that he has nothing left to look forward to, or watch over. Gatsby was eventually murdered by George Wilson, tricked by Tom into believing that he killed his wife Myrtle by running her over with his car. Gatsby was shot and killed by Wilson while using his pool for the first time, and waiting for Daisy to call him; this is yet another way of showing how he still clung to his dream, despite the fact that it was virtually dead. Very few people attended his funeral; only Nick, Mr. Gatz, Owl-Eyes, and a few of Gatsby's old servants show up to pay their respects. In the end, Gatsby had little to be remembered by; Daisy had left him once again, his guests had dispersed, and only Nick was left to pick up the pieces, and stand by his side until the last moment.

Jay Gatsby is a complex, complicated character that has won the hearts of many who have read The Great Gatsby; he has caused many to speculate and ponder on what makes him "great." He is a gentleman, risen up from the desolate farmland he originated from, and became a self-made man. Along the way, he fell in love with the beautiful Southern belle, Daisy Fay, and later began his quest to win her back from her husband, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby is, in many ways, similar to his creator, F. Scott Fitzgerald, who shared similar experiences and traits. He delved into organized crime and bootlegging in order to attain his wealth, which ultimately corrupted his already-decaying dream. This dream was what ultimately kills him, putting him in the line of fire as Wilson shoots him, while he is waiting for a call from Daisy. Despite his flaws, Gatsby remains "great," for being able to raise himself from poverty. Granted, the methods he used in order to secure his wealth and success were not the safest, nor the most legal, but he still clung on to his dream like a lifeline. Gatsby has come to stand for so many things for people around the world. So like Gatsby, people keep beating on against the currents, each with their own past, dream, and demon.

Works Cited

Bewley, Marius, et al. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Chelsea House Publishers, 1985.

Fitzgerald, S. Frances. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1925.

Minzener, Arthur. The Far Side of Paradise. Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1949.

Ousby, Ian. 50 American Novels: A Reader's Guide. Great Britain: Heinemann Educational

Books Ltd, 1979.


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